The Rare Disease Ghana Initiative (RDGI) and its partners have called on UN member states including Ghana to support the adoption of a UN Resolution for persons living with rare diseases.
The resolution seeks to protect and strengthen the human rights of persons living with a rare disease as they experience discrimination and stigmatization as well as difficulty in accessing healthcare, leisure, education, and employment.
The resolution has become necessary as over 300 million people globally and an estimated 3 million people in Ghana may live with one of over 6,000 rare diseases; most of which are chronic, complex, degenerative, progressive, heavily disabling, and life-threatening.
“We, therefore, call on Government represented by the Permanent Mission of Ghana to the United Nations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, the public, civil society groups as well as persons with a genuine interest in rare diseases to join the call for the Resolution to be adopted before the end of 2021”, it stated in a press statement.
The resolution advances the United Nation’s sustainable development goals (SDG) 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10 rooted in the promise to leave no one behind.
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